Inertia holds back Losing Sun
Losing Sun have been around in one form or another for 8 years and although based in Wales they feature two Egyptian born members in Marcos Phillips (guitar) and Mattiaus Morggz (bass). Vocals are handled by Paul Kellahar, the drummer being Jayce Lewis, both hailing from South Wales. Support slots with Killing Joke, Sepultura, Ill Nino & Lost Prophets makes for an impressive list of associates, but can they deliver on their own?
First track 'Dirtnap' kicks off with busy guitar work & is not bad at all, first impressions are favourable, the production and mix is good and I'm thinking we might be on to something here.
[Pill] follows with a jerky offbeat start which again is good & heightens the expectation, alas it doesn't last & the chorus is a bit poor & uninspiring.
Track four 'Solitary Creep' starts with fast intense drums & guitars & this is kept up throughout but the vocals are too slow over the top, whilst the music tries to go forward the vocals keep dragging it back & slowing it down which makes for a frustrating listen.
'Closure' is a slower tune, simpler & ultimately more effective; the vocals work better on this one & sound reminiscent of Ian Astbury in his Cult days. 'Shimmer' has a good rhythm & with effects layered over the vocals (which finally let loose) it's one of the better tracks.
Track seven 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' whilst featuring impressive double bass drumming, is not strong musically with the vocals beginning to become a little irritating. Penultimate track 'Coma Pets' is more of the same & I have to confess that by now I'm losing interest. Last track 'Hollow Circus' confirms that Losing Sun have run out of ideas & offers nothing extra.
Yes they can play and to their credit they do try and mix it up a little but as with many of the modern metal genre there are no real memorable tunes and the vocals have that slightly annoying US tint to them.
The music is competent, tight and heavy but it's unoriginal, we've heard its like a thousand times before, which without any distinguishing features makes it rather mediocre. What makes a really great band (of any genre) is that they have that extra something to appeal to the casual listener and unfortunately Losing Sun don't have it.
Oh & for some reason the press release makes reference to the drummers 'cage fighting' past, so what? If the music isn't strong enough then having a hard drummer isn't likely to change anyones opinion.